Detroit-based Jeremy Ellis moved to Puerto Rico to create an album marrying traditional Bomba and Plena rhythms with Detroit-schooled dance music. After three months, the keyboard maestro and golden-toned vocalist discovered that the living in Puerto Rico ain’t so easy. On his way home he lost two computers, all of his recordings, half of his recording advance, and his passport (and possibly part of his mind).
New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based producer Lanu (aka Lance Ferguson) marks a distinct departure from the raw, deep funk of his other project, The Bamboos.
Brimming with future soul and broken beat flavours, forward-thinking production and intuitive jazz sensibility, Lanu’s sound has been informed and inspired by the digital rhythms of West London and Detroit.
Ferguson has drawn on his experience as an international DJ and performer to create an album with enough depth and versatility to work just as well on a decent set of headphones as it does on a club soundsystem.
Fluke are an electronic band formed in 1988 at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, UK, by Mike Bryant, Jon Fugler and Mike Tournier. The group are noted for their diverse range of electronic styles spanning the house, techno, ambient and blues genres. Fluke started out making dreamy pop before the explosion of acid house influenced them. It was the growing electronica sound that influenced their early singles (Thumper, Joni, Slid) and their techno-rock debut album The Techno Rose of Blighty (1991). In the same year they released a live album entitled Out (In Essence).
Cosmic Kids Ron Poznansky and Dan Terndrup didn’t meet in outer space as their DJ moniker may indicate, but the story is still equally as good. The two met in a high school classroom meant for kids who had trouble paying attention. They bonded over their love of classic rock. Right out of high school they both volunteered to work at the Los Angeles radio station KCRW. Known for its eclectic programming, the friends were exposed to all different kinds of music, and began collecting and consuming records, feeding their ever-expanding appetite for music.
Presently Dizz1 has been blowing up all over the place. From playing at Sonar 2010, attending the Red Bull Music Academy in Spain and getting air play from Giles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs and Benji B on BBC Radio through to performing alongside the likes of De La Soul, Mos Def, Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Oh No, Benga, The Bug, Starkey, Stereotyp, N-Type, Lorn, Mt Kimbie and Loefah as well as having his track ‘Konotakosuke Yaro’ feature on the highly anticipated Beat Dimensions 2 compilation on Rush Hour.
If you’ve seen Tawiah, you’ll know it. You might think you know her because you recognise the smile as wide as the equator, or the incredible off kilter dress sense, or you may remember seeing a show stopping performance on stage with Mark Ronson, as she’s the only live female vocalist at his gigs. But none of these things is the real reason you know her. You’ll know her because of the voice, or more to the point - her voice.
Nathan Haines (born: 1972) is one of New Zealand